Former Liverpool defender Daniel Agger has admitted he turned down a mega-money move to Manchester City during his playing days at Anfield, despite the Reds wishing to offload him.
Agger, now 39, joined Liverpool from Danish Superliga side Brondby in 2006 and went on to have a successful eight-year career under man
The former Denmark international was part of Benitez’s Liverpool team that came within four points of winning the Premier League for the first time in 19 years in 2009, only to lose to Manchester United by four points following multiple draws throughout the season.
By 2012, however, Agger found himself at the center of a transfer battle between Manchester City and Barcelona, both of which intended to take advantage of the defender’s expiring contract. However, after the UAE-backed City outbid Spanish giants Barcelona, Agger reveals he had no interest in leaving Merseyside for Manchester.
“It was a strange one,” Agger commented of the events of 2012. “I remember being presented for all of these things, and when the club asked what I was going to do, I said, ‘If you want me here, I will stay.'” But I said, ‘If you don’t want me, if you don’t see me as part of your future I think it’s time that I go because I want to play football. I’d rather do it here, but if you don’t think I’m good enough, I’d like to go because these offers are on the table and I’m not sure whether I’ll have them next year’.
“I don’t know the story from their side, but I believe they agreed on a price (with Barcelona) and accepted it before coming to me and saying, ‘this is it.'” ‘OK, fair enough,’ I answered. But then another offer came in from the side that was much more, which they accepted, and I didn’t want to move to that club.
“I told them, ‘If you want to sell me, I’ll go down there (to Barcelona); otherwise, I’m not going.'” And then another, better offer came in from the same club (Man City), and my gut instinct was that the club wanted me to go since the money was good back then. ‘There’s no way I’m going to that club, so I’d better simply stop now,’ I remarked.”
On the ‘Aldo Meets’ Podcast, John Aldridge, a Liverpool ECHO journalist, questioned Agger if the other club in issue was Manchester City, to which he answered, “Yeah.”
Agger departed Liverpool and returned to Brondby in 2014, aged 29, after sliding down the pecking order under Rodgers. Agger announced his retirement from the sport in 2016.
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